Echo's cry
by Stamina Pendragon
Summary: Lives without a body,hears without ears,speaks without a mouth,to which the air alone gives birth.she has a gift. can she help Eragon? rated to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

don't hate me becaus I'm starting another story, I have writers block for all my others.

disclamer: i don't own Eragon, or the werewolf'd image/descrition. that belongs to white wolf.

R&R. just a start, my first Eragon fic.

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Echo ran as fast as she could, which was fast, to get away from the guards. She knew that her only chance was to get outside the gates, but how? They were already closed. she ran into the wall the doors created and started slamming on them with her fists. She had to get out, if she didn't she's going to die, there was no excuse for what had happened a few moments ago, but she couldn't explain it. The guards where coming closer, she could hear them. She could smell them. Her nostrils flared with the sent of the sweaty men, the metallic of their weapons and the copper of the blood that still covered them. She began pounding the doors harder, her heart in her throat. She whirled around and faced the seven men, each of them had a sword, each of them covered in blood not their own. Echo shook with fear, frustration, and rage. The first man lunged at her, and with inhuman strength and speed Echo didn't know she had, she dodged his attach and punched him in the throat, crushing his wind pipe and killing him. The others froze, petrified. But not Echo, the rage that had been building up ever since . . . the false accusations, the beating, the injustice, fueled the fire that was her rage, and it erupted like a volcano, her form twisted growing. She gained muscle and height, She felt a sharp pain in her head as if reshaped itself into the form of a wolves head, she grew hair, and then everything stopped. In the place of girl, now stood a midnight black man-wolf. It stood nine feet tall, massive muscles, black fur covered the entire body, it had massive paws and claws, its head was wolf shaped, with piercing green eyes, the only thing that tied this creature to the girl that had been there moments before. It the head there where killer fangs and razor sharp teeth, this is a creature designed for only one thing, killing. And that's what she did. The night's near silence was shattered by the blood curtailing screams of the men who died on the werewolf's claws. Another scream broke through. . . 

Echo sat up, panting. That night had been three years ago, but she still remembers it like it was yesterday. She heard footsteps coming closer to her location, and she jumped into a nearby tree.

"I heard a scream" someone said, a young man, as he came through to the clearing. Echo quickly amended her evaluation, and then became confused. He looked like an elf, but smelt like a human. She abandoned her post to find the answer. She landed right in front of him and stared straight into his eyes. She found that by doing this, it made it hard for people to lie to her.

"Who are you" she asked. Her voice husked, but not unpleasant.

He swallowed, and then answered, "I am Eragon-"

"Shadeslayer" she cut him off, "you _are_ a human, thought so" she turned around to face the others, "and in what strange company? A dwarf and an elf." she snorted

"How did you know I was human" he asked, "I look like an elf."

"You can change you appearance, human, but you can't change your smell" Echo said, jumping back so now her back was against a tree.

"You speak as if your not one" the dwarf said. Echo snarled at him, her eyes flashing

"never associate me with the Human weaklings, They are not my people, say such a thing agian and I'll gut you" she growled at him and jumped into the trees, out of site.

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kk, tell me how was it? did you like it? what's wrong with it? plz tell me.  



	2. Chapter 2

Okay me freaky darlings here's the second chapter.

Disclamer? see first chapter.

enjoy!

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Echo trailed behind the three travelers, being very careful of her footing, she didn't want to get caught. 

/_this is so stupid_/ she told herself, for the 18th time, but really, she had nothing else to do, and if she followed the rider, there's bound to be fun. Sitting on a branch, she went over what she had learned in the last towns she had visited before following El circo de tontos. Eragon Shadeslayer is a Dragon Rider, son of Morzan of the Forsworn, and brother of Murtagh, also a Dragon rider, he also had a cousin named Roran Stronghammer, but her was no rider. The last bits, she got from a way-to-drunk human in Surda.

By all laws of her nature, she should not be following these people, human, elf and dwarf alike had hunted her kind to the brink of extinction. But like the roaches one of the clans idealize, the kept coming back. Echo didn't know a lot about Dragon riders, and if they had played a part of those battles, but she didn't have time to think about it. She nearly screamed as she felt a white hot pain shoot through her leg. She looked at it, and saw an arrow embedded in it. The feathers might had been white, at one point, but the arrow was so far in, they were now red. She looked around to try to find who ever shot it, and her eyes fell upon the elf Eragon was travailing with.

"Are you following us" she asked, in her regal voice.

Echo sneered at her and broke of the feathered part of the arrow.

"Answer the question" she said, and prepared to shoot again.

"What does it look like, princess? I was board, and you looked like fun" she answered, and lifted her leg off the arrow. She grinded her teeth together, and jumped down from her tree, her leg gave out when she landed, and she fell on her knees. No one moved. Echo got up on her toes and fingers testing her led with a little pressure, she decided, she could handle it and stood up.

"How did you know I was a princes?"

"I didn't, you just told me" Echo said, still testing her leg.

"Why are you following us" Eragon asked.

Echo glanced at him, and then back to the elf, " are you deaf, human? I said I was board"

"So now were entertainment?" he demanded.

"You are for those who are not affected by your war yes, but unfortunately, I _am_ affected and I want to know what your doing." she retorted, "but if you must know, your misadventures are amusing." she limped was less stiff when she walked toward him. He backed up a few steps when she got close. Echo grimed and gestured to her leg.

"You heal me, and I'll tell you my" she paused, searching for the right word, "interest in your quest"

Eragon looked at her for a few minuets, then looked up towards the trees

thud.

Echo's eyes narrowed, glancing upwards

thud.

Suddenly over the trees came a large dragon, a brilliant blue color, heading straight for them.

"What are you trying to pull, Rider" echo said, spiting out the word rider like it was poison as she jumped back towards the trees. She resembled a snake, all loss and ready to attack.

"Nothing" eragon said, "This is my dragon Saphira, you must have know I had one"

echo glared at him, her green eyes flashed with unspoken intentions. She growled as the Dragon landed.

"Stop moving so much," eragon said, watching her injured leg, " your going to get hurt more if you keep moving"

Echo looked from him to the dragon, then down at her still bleeding leg, which didn't hurt so much now. She kept her eyes on the dragon as she limped over to Eragon. The boy whispered some words in a different language over her wound and it healed. She kneeled on the opposite leg and inspected it.

"Thank you Shadeslayer"

"now tell us" the elf said, echo shot her a glance, the quickly reverted her eyes to the dragon.

Taking a deep breath She began

"my interest in you is because-

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do you hate me? okay, just wait and see, please R&R 


	3. Chapter 3

okay, really long chapter. sorry about the last one, I couldn't resist.

Disclamer? see first chapter.

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"And that's why I'm interested in your quest" Echo said. Eragon and the dwarf blinked at her. 

"You, um, didn't _say_ anything" Eragon said finally.

Echo smiled and laughed, her black shoulder length hair flowing in the light breeze.

"I know, but I always wanted to say that," she took a breath, "Over the last century, my. . . people have been stabilizing, are numbers increased, our food stock was fine and people were happy.then it all stopped about two years ago." Echo paused. Her natural instinct, the one that had keep her alive with out her pack, told her to trust these people. They themselves have done nothing to harm her, aside from the elf, but the wound was healed, and it wasn't major to begin with. So she continued.

**_Flashback_**

"Echo! Come on, where going to be late for dinner" her friend, Sol, called. His platinum blond hair shined brightly in the sunlight he had been named after.

"Hold on!" She called back, her green eyes focused on the stone in her hand, "I just want to do it again" the stone glowed a dull green, which began to grow stronger then it rose into the air, and began to make a circle. Faster and faster the stone flew until it was just a green circle. Inside the circle the air rippled and turned a milky white, then an image appeared. A red dragon flew at a blue one, in a full out attack. The anger and fatigue the blue dragon felt resinated around echo. Suddenly something fell off the blue dragon onto the red one-

the image disappeared when the rock shattered, bits flying every where. Echo sighed and trudged back to her house.

After dinner, Sol and Swift-As-The-River were wrestling in there lupin form, when Faster-Than-Death, the Elder of the small village, ran in.

"Humans!" he shouted, "hundreds of them, coming this way" They all jumped to there feet and ran to the door.

"Echo" Faster called, she looked at him, "I need you to warn the others."

"But I can help, I can fight!" she insisted.

"It is a far better thing you do, by running, pup, than you have ever done before. The other villages need to be warned"

Echo sighed, but nodded, shifted into lupin form, and ran for her life. She dodged swords and arrows. She was nearing the edge of the forest when the feeling of being pierced by hot iron radiated through her shoulder. She let out a mournful howl and twisted around to see her attacker. He was a young human, confusion filtered through his face as he looked at his sword. Echo's blood stained the blade, but the blood bubbled and hissed, as if being boiled.

/_He doesn't know_/ Echo thought, as she took off running again /_They gave them silver swords, but they have no idea why_/

When Echo reached the forest she looked back. Even with the silver swords, the humans were failing. But suddenly the air seemed to pop, and the stench of fear and death rose through the air. Echo's eyes widened before she took off through the woods, she was no Silent Strider, the clan known for their tireless runners, but echo was exceptionally fast. The stench that had filled the air could belong to only one thing, Black Spiral Dancers. The White Howlers, now the Dancers, were once one of the greatest clans, but they tempted fate, and lost. Echo ran as fast as she could, she had to warn the others. There was no way her pack could face off against all those Dancers.

She got to the other village late in the evening, her shoulder had slowed her down greatly; the wound still bleed sluggishly. She ran into the village, and stopped, her howl for help frozen in her throat. The place was a grave yard. So much blood, the place reeked of it. She walked through the village, looking for survivors, looking for bodies. She came to the middle of the town and the stench of rotting flesh assaulted her enhanced senses, she coughed and sputtered, but finally she was forced to shift to her homed form.

Bodies had been piled up in a large mound at the center. They had all been stripped of there weapons and valuables. Scattered around the pile were what looked like bodies, torn apart and crushed. Echo paused, the intestines of the bodies, whether they had been male or female she did not know, where scattered around.

It took two seconds to remember why they had been torn apart, and then shifted into her Glabro(1) form and jumped high into the sky. She twisted and when she landed she was in Crinos(2) form. There in front of her were two Dancers. They were bloodies and breathing hard, but Echo was still a young wolf, her first change had only been about a year ago. One rushed her fast, Echo barely had time to dodge the attacks, her shoulder no help. She ducked under his attacks, with lightning speed, and brought her fist up and smashed her opponent in the throat, her fist going through it. She brought fist back through, but was unable to avoid they kick in the ribs from the other wolf.

She went flying into the chard skeleton of a house. She cursed herself and jumped up. The Dancer came at her with a furry she had never known before. She dodged attack after attack, and then finally kicked her opponents legs out, she turned and ran. The Dancer was hot on her heals, her ran a couple more yards mutter painful curses. She stopped suddenly and spun on her attacker, her large claws flashed silver in fading sunlight. She racked them across the Dancers chest, and nearly severed his throat entirely. The Dancer fell, convulsing, never to regain his footing.

Echo panted heavily, turned into her lupin form, and started her race towards her own village.

She arrived to late. Everyone was dead. Or so she thought. As she crept through the decimated town. She heard something.

"Echo" the call came, soft, but she could her it, and went running. There lying at the bade of the largest tree, was, Faster-Than-Death. She crept closer to him, her tail low to the ground.

"Echo, come here" He rasped out. She shifted to Human form, and rushed to his side, her hand lost in his paw.

"I guess I didn't live up to my name" he said, laughing a little, then started coughing, "I have seen the future, Echo, and I need you to me something"

"anything" she replied quickly, bitting back tears, she refused to seem weak infrount of her mentor. He smiled at her quick response.

"Promise me, that you will keep your ways alive"

"I promise"

"promise me that you will fight the Wyrm with every breath in your body"

"I Promise"

"And Promise me," he paused to take a breath, the air rattling in his lungs, "promise me that when the time comes, you will help the rider"

Echo stayed silent for a minute. They had been taught that, though there was no proof, the Dragon Riders had something to do with the wax and wane of their people, wether by not protecting them, or hunting them.

"Promise me!" he nearly yelled at her, then began coughing.

"I promise, I promise" She told him hurredly(sp?)

"vestri vox redimio vos(3)" he said, and closed his eyes. He struggled to take a breath, and then let go. Echo let out a mournful howl, the Dirge For The Fallen(4). She sang for all the wolves that had fallen that day, for her friends, Sol, Swift, and Faster, and for those she didn't know.

"meus vox est meus vinculum(5)"

end flashback

Sometime during her story, the Elf and The Dwarf had stood up. Echo looked around her eyes focusing on Eragon, who was teary eyes, he placed a hand on her knee in some kind of confort. Echo let it rest there, but she didn't look away from it.

"You saw me" Eragon said softly, "and Saphira, fighting Murtagh and his dragon Thorn"

Echo nodded, "After that I took the last name Winterdirge"

"So you are Garou, a werewolf" The elf said. Eragon jerked his hand back as if Echo had bitten him, and the Saphira crouched in a protective position.

"Yes, I am," Echo said, letting out a hollow laugh, "Take a good look Princess, I may be the last one you ever see"

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1. "The Glabro Form is Bipedal, and does not posses obvious fangs and claws, but the rsenbmence to human beings end there. A carou thats shifts to Galbro form gains 100-200 body weight, all muscle, and six inches in hight. body hair becomes much more profuse, and the teeth and nails elongate, the brows slope and the charicter looks huge and menacing(sp?)" 

2. "Affectionately known as the nine-foot snarling death-beast form, a werewolf in Crinos form wants to do only one thing-kill. This is not a sicial form. going from Glabro to Crinos, the Garou grouws in hight intill there nine feet tall gain another 100-200 in weight. the head changes to a wolfs maw, and the fangs and claws are fully grown. The arms become long and apelike, and tge werewolf can move either on two legs or all four. The Garou also grows a tail, which helps with balance." nine feet-one foot taller then a kull. . . go figure.

3. Latin "Your word is your bond"

4. Dirge For the Fallen-"this dirge is a somber, low-pitched howl used as a requiem for the honored dead. Its lenght depends on the status of the fallen. An attentive listener can learn which participants are hurt the most by this tragedy, and he may gather brief images of the hero's deeds, rather like the memories after a great euloge"

5. Latin "My word is my bond"

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kk. Sorry about spelling- I have trouble with that. Thanks for the comments, keep them comming. Love you! 


	4. Chapter 4

It had been three weeks since Echo had lest seen the rider and his group. They had let her stay the night with them at the camp, but none of them trusted her anymore. She left in the morning, after the dragon tried to burn her, crispy. She had left one of her white stones with Eragon, so if she needed to find him, she would always be able to. 

Walking down a road, she kept running things through her head. Why had she told them about her past? She shouldn't have trusted them. In a few short hours they had tipped her world on it's side. What could she trust if not her natural instinct?

She entered a tavern, deciding to get something to eat before finding some place to sleep. She chose a table at the back of the place, and positioned her chair to that she could see everyone else in the tavern. She fiddled with one of the other stones, as white as the other one. While she was fiddling, she scanned the room, eyes taking in everything at once. There was an old drunk at the bar, long silver hair mused. A harlot was hanging around a card game, the game players didn't seem to bad, just a bunch of bar brawlers.

The person who really worried her was the man who had just entered. He was tall-ish, with a serious face and fierce eyes framed by brown locks. He turned her way, his brown eyes(1) locking with hers. He started her way when he was stopped by a waiter, who pointed to his hand-and-a-half sword and then pointed to another table. The man sighed and went to the other table and sat down.

Echo narrowed her eyes, but looked down at her food. She mumbled a spell in the Garous natural language. Her meat glowed a sickly green, and then faded. She shoved the plate away from her and stood up. The man behind the bar reached for something, the man in the corner stood up. Echo upturned the table sending her beer and the poisoned foods to the floor. She stomped towards the door. The men playing cards stared at her, the harlot was with the bar tender. The man at the corner came and stood in font of the door, blocking her way out.

"Was that necessary?" he asked in a clear and controlled voice. Echo glared him.

"The food was poisoned, of course it was necessary."

"How did you know it was poisoned?" his voice was annoying her, his voice was too controlled.

"Move." she demanded, not answering his question. The man stepped aside, but followed her out.

"Get _away_ from me, Rider." she growled out, attempting to sound madder that she was. Echo couldn't really get mad, because if she did, bad things happened.

The man grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"How did you know?" He demanded softly.

"You reek of dragon." she said, making no attempt to keep the conversation personal. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her someplace. Not in the mood to fight him, Echo went along. But she didn't go quietly.

"HOW DARE YOU!" she yelled at him when they had arrived at the mans camp. The man looked positively harassed.

"Shut up, woman!" he yelled at her. Echo went silent. He sat down on the other side of the camp fire. . . FIRE?

"Where'd that come from?" She asked, pointing to the fire.

"Didn't Eragon tell you Riders could do magic?" He asked Slyly.

"I don't. . . Who's Eragon?" She asked

"The other Dragon Rider. You know the one you were with three weeks ago?" he said, "I've been following you ever since you learned my name"

"Murtagh" Echo said, matter of factly.

"That's right Echo" he said, his calm voice as smooth as oil.

"Why are you following me?" she demanded, glancing around. This rider was working for the Empire. The Empire was run by a crazy man. Thus the rider was crazy by association. He probably had people in the bushes.

"What are you doing for Eragon? Why are you helping him?" Echo snorted at the last bit

"helping him? The last time I saw him, his dragon tried to eat me." Echo looked up again, "where's your Dragon? Thorn right?"

"He's around." Echo looked at the Rider, and sighed,

"you should take better care of your Dragon. You youngsters are all alike, something becomes popular, and you want one, but when you get it, you don't want it no more."

"What are you talking about?" Murtagh looked at her as if she was crazy. She rolled her eyes at him, and shook her head.

"Saphira tried to eat you?"

"Well, no, but she did try to burn me, nice and crispy, but then she was going to eat me, I could tell"

"your crazy" he said at last.

"Your evil" she said in defense, totally serious now.

"I'm not"

"you attacked him"

"you saw that?"

"Three years ago."

"How?"

"Didn't Eragon tell you Garou had magic?" Murtagh Jumped up, hand on his sword.

"You're a werewolf?" he whisper-shouted.

"Yes." she whispered.

She stood up and made to go to him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Echo was too fast. She sifted into Glabro form and was in front of Murtagh in seconds. She covered his mouth with her hand, slightly elongated nails nearly digging into his cheek.

"_You will not say anything_"

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sorry it took soo long. 

PS. updates wont be as fast as usual. I'm working on my first Book. It's going to be good, and I'm going to be published, I hope.

2 chapters down, a lot more to go.

1. don't know what color his eyes are, so now there brown

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